‘Rescued’ ponies leave animal lover in a real fix (From South Wales Guardian)

‘Rescued’ ponies leave animal lover in a real fix

1:00pm Friday 5th October 2012 in Ammanford news

AN AMMAN Valley animal lover says she is “at my wits’ end” having learnt that two foals she found abandoned on Garnant rugby pitch are nowher responsibility.

The mum-of-three, who does not want to be named, says she has been left in a dilemma since the foals followed her pony home on Monday of last week.

“They were quivering in the cold – wet and scared,” she told the Guardian. “I decided to take them in because I didn’t want to see them suffer and I was also afraid that they could cause an accident.

“They’re Section A Welsh ponies aged about six months.

I’m pretty sure they’ve been dumped because there was no sign of their mother and it’s not in a foal’s nature to stray too far from their mum.”

But on contacting the Lluest Pony Trust the woman says she was horrified to find she was now responsible for the animals’ welfare.

“I have three children and four horses of my own, so I’m just not in a position to be able to keep these foals,” she said. “I’m having to cut back this year and can hardly afford to keep my own animals.

“If the Lluest Pony Trust cannot give them a home then I’m afraid they’re going to have to be shot – a prospect which, as an animal-lover, I find horrendous.

I’ve contacted the police and Carmarthenshire county council, but neither were interested.”

And she claimed that the abandonment of horses and ponies was a growing problem.

“I’ve heard of a lot of animals being dumped on the mountains,”

she said. “People get rid of them because they’re not worth anything.”